A pair of basketball bluebloods take the floor Wednesday night when the #10 Indiana Hoosiers (6-0, 4-0 home) take on the #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2, 0-0 away) as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge presented by Continental Tire. These two teams have played 15 times in the past with Indiana holding a 9-6 advantage.
The contest tips off at 9:15 p.m. EST inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers are a seven-point favorite, and the over/under total is 144.5 points.
What to Know – #18 North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina is off to another solid start in 2022 under the direction of second-year head coach Hubert Davis. Davis took the Tar Heels all the way to the national title game last season in his first year as head coach.
The Tar Heels have lost their last two contests, including a four-overtime thriller on Sunday against Alabama. UNC ranks 21st in KenPom’s rankings, 12th in adjusted offense and 47th in adjusted defense.
Familiar names lead the Tar Heels offense with Caleb Love, Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis leading the pack. Love headlines all, scoring 20.0 points per game. Bacot (16.7 ppg) and Davis (15.7 ppg) along with Pete Nance (11.9) can each fill up a basket on any given night.
The Tar Heels enter the contest scoring 82.6 points per game behind 46.5% shooting from the field. On the defensive end, UNC is surrendering 75.1 points per game and holding opponents to 41.2% shooting from the floor.
What to Know – #10 Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers have yet to lose and are ranked in the top 10 in the country as Indiana enters the second year under head coach Mike Woodson. Woodson returned to his alma mater after a lengthy career coaching in the NBA.
Indiana’s best win of the season came in a two-point victory over Xavier back in mid-November. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers are 11th overall, 14th in adjusted offense and 12th in adjusted defense.
Senior Trace Jackson-Davis leads the Indiana offense pouring in 18.8 points per game. The guard is hitting a remarkable 76% of his shots through the first six games. Classmate Xavier Johnson (11.0 ppg) and freshman Malik Reneau (10.7) are two able scorers in the Hoosier lineup to complement Jackson-Davis.
Offensively, the Hoosiers average 88.8 points per contest and hit 55.9% of their shots from the floor. Indiana’s defense allows 59.3 points per game and limits teams to 36.8% shooting from the field.
The Pick is In
One of the top matchups in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, fans will want to stay up for this one. UNC heads to Bloomington for their first true road test of the year, while Indiana aims to stay undefeated at home.
North Carolina has lost a pair, but the Tar Heels have one of the best players in the game on its roster. UNC can win this, but we will be safe and gladly take the points here.
The Pick: #18 North Carolina Tar Heels +7
